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Democrats are suing President Trump over foreign money

Blumenthal said Trump has “never sought the consent of Congress” for profits received in deals in more than 20 countries where his businesses operate. Foreign diplomats have been purposefully booking rooms at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.to curry favor with the president, according to news reports cited in the lawsuit.While legal experts have said the plaintiffs in the prior lawsuits may have difficulty establishing that they have sufficient legal basis to sue, Blumenthal said members of Congress have standing due to their Constitutional duty to consider emoluments matters.President Donald Trump arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., to board Marine One for a short trip to the White House on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, after traveling to Milwaukee.White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer responded to that suit at a press briefing on Monday afternoon, reiterating the administration’s position that Trump is not in violation of the emoluments clause and suggested that the lawsuit was motivated by politics.They allege that the president’s business interests overseas have created conflicts of interest, violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution.President Donald Trump is being accused of using his presidency for financial gain after foreign government officials paid to stay at hotels he owns.As early as November 2016, Trump has denied that his business empire poses any conflict of interest.”And we think that our case will also further develop the record and the law for the court, which obviously will ultimately be the final arbiter, a necessary cog in the check-and-balance wheel”, Racine said.Because President Trump has refused to disclose his business dealings overseas, the full scope of his potential Constitutional violations is unknown.That means he stands to benefit financially from the Trump Organization’s profits, including from foreign governments. But the Democrats say Trump didn’t get approval from Congress to receive the money, which could violate the Constitution.Trump has turned over day-to-day operations of the Trump Organization to his sons, but he has not completely untangled himself from his business empire.Unlike the previous two lawsuits, the lawsuit by members of Congress does not accuse Trump of violating the so-called domestic emoluments clause that bans him from accepting benefits from states or the federal government.The state attorneys general argue that Trump’s D.C. hotel is taking business away from a convention center in the district that is owned by taxpayers, and from a taxpayer-subsidized convention center in Maryland.But the Democratic lawmakers are focused on what they call the harm being done by being stripped of the consent power granted by the Constitution.Democrats cancelled a press conference Wednesday to announce the suit in light of the shooting at a Congressional Republican baseball practice earlier in the morning.”Although he formed a trust to hold his business assets, he may obtain distributions from his trust at any time”, it said.